1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a household liquid-dispensing container, such as a drinking vessel, flask or jug, comprising a vessel that is configured to hold a liquid and that has a base on which it can stand, an opening and at least one side; and, a handle that is configured to be held by a user and that is attached to a side of the vessel by a joint that forms a single gimbal between the handle the vessel and that allows the handle to pivot about a single axis that extends directly above the centre of gravity of the vessel when the vessel base is standing on a horizontal surface.
2. Background of the Invention
People experience difficulty when drinking from conventional liquid-dispensing containers, such as a drinking vessel, for many different reasons. People with tremor struggle to hold drinking vessels steady in mid-air; develop lower back pain when leaning over to drink from drinking vessels with straws in that are standing on a horizontal surface; and, develop neck pain when tilting their head back in order to connect their mouth with straws positioned in drinking vessels that are held in mid-air. People with arthritis, joint pain and limited dexterity and limited strength, struggle to control the tilting of a drinking vessel in conjunction with absorbing the liquid container's weight; and, also experience pain when drinking due to having to tilt wrist and neck. People with difficulty swallowing, often need to drink with their chin resting on their chest but struggle from being required to overextend the twisting of their wrist in order to pour their drink into their mouth. People with limited dexterity struggle to hold their drink with straws in upright, which makes it difficult to connect their mouth with the straw, and this results in relying on another person, such as a nurse, to help in order to perform the activity of drinking. People drinking whilst travelling in vehicles struggle to hold drinking vessels steady due to unpredictable motion of the vehicle, resulting in spillages and making it difficult to connect their mouth with the drinking vessel. People drinking whilst reclining back in a chair or resting horizontally in a bed, who may or may not be physically weak, struggle to carefully control the tilting of the drinking vessel at the same time as absorbing its weight and this results in spillages and tiredness from over concentration.
3. Description of Prior Art
Liquid-dispensing containers such as specialist drinking vessels that help people who find conventional drinking vessels difficult to use, often referred to as ‘daily living aids’, are known in the prior art, however they do not provide a liquid-dispensing container that comprises of a handle and a vessel configured to pivot about an axis and that together form a single gimbal joint.
Liquid-dispensing containers that use gimbals to stabilise drinking vessels are known in the prior art, however, they do not provide a liquid-dispensing container (a) that has a handle that is configured to be held by a user that is attached to a side of a vessel by a joint the comprises of a low friction bearing, (b) that forms a single gimbal configuration between the handle and the vessel, (c) that allows the handle to pivot about a single axis as opposed to multiple axis, (c) that enables the handle to rotate 360° about the said xis; (d) that has the handle attached to the side of a vessel by a single joint, (e) that includes a low friction bearing such as a ball bearing, roller bearing or bush placed between the handle and the vessel (f) that includes the accompaniment of a baffle to reduce liquid sloshing, (g) that includes the accompaniment of a lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,636, issued to Anthory Mazzurco & Richard L. Miller on Mar. 20, 1984, discloses a Self-Orientating Fluid Container Device which includes a handle and a pair of gimbals that stabilise the drinking vessel when resting on a surface. It also includes a locking mechanism that locks the gimbals when the device is lifted vertically by the handle, i.e. when a user wants to drink from the drinking vessel, he/she lifts the handle at a 0 degrees tilt to the vertical, which locks the gimbal to allow drinking. Unlike the present invention, the invention of the '636 patent (a) only stabilises the drinking vessel when it rests on a surface, (b) uses a two axis gimbal structure as opposed to a single axis gimbal structure and (c) doesn't include the use of ball-bearings to reduce frictional contact.
G.B. Pat. Application. GB071314.5, submitted by Christopher J. Peacock on Jul. 7, 2007, discloses a Stabilising and Locking Device which includes a handle attached within a set range of points to an outer ring that pivots about a middle ring that orthogonally pivots about a cradle within which a drinking vessel resides, and all parts made with such dimensions to enable the mechanism to lock when the handle is sufficiently turned to pour drinks into users' mouths. Unlike the present invention, the application GB071314.5 incorporates (a) a two axis gimbal as opposed to a single axis gimbal structure, (b) a locking feature, and (c) the restriction that the handle is unable to be rotated fully by 360° due to the locking feature of the device.
PCT. Pat. Application. WO 97/25271, submitted by Friedman on 31, Dec. 2006, discloses a Multi-Chamber Liquid Pouring Apparatus which includes a device to hold and pour two or more different liquids. Unlike the present invention, the application WO 97/25271 (a) has multiple handles, (b) comprises of handles that move about an axis that is orthogonal to the axis in the said invention, (c) doesn't use a low-friction bearing, and (d) is limited to a jug rather than a drinking cup.
C.N. Pat. Application. CN101461634, submitted by Qiang on 19, Dec. 2007, discloses a cup with a handle that can be placed in a standard position for drinking, then moved to a 180 degrees upside down position for carrying the cup when on the move. Unlike the present invention, the application CN101461634 (a) is intended for only 2 positions, (b) doesn't move freely under a low-friction bearing, (c) doesn't use a ball bearing, roller bearing or bush.
U.S. Pat. No. US2007/0012707, submitted by Rattay on 14, Jul. 2005, discloses a vessel with handle that pivots up and down besides the vessel. Unlike the present invention, the invention of patent '707, (a) doesn't include the use of a low-friction bearing, so is unable to properly counteract hand tremor, (b) doesn't use a ball bearing, roller bearing or bush, (c) comprises of handle that doesn't move 360 degrees about the axis in which it is attached to the vessel, (d) comprises of a handle that moves about an axis orthogonal to the axis in the present invention, such that the handle moves up and down as opposed to tilting besides the vessel, (e) comprises of a handle attached to the side of a vessel by two joints as opposed to a single joint, and (e) comprises of a handle that moves over the top of the vessel, as opposed to moving to the side of the vessel, and (f) makes the activity of carrying the cup easier as opposed to making the activity of drinking easier.
PCT. Pat. Application. U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,949, submitted by Gottlieb on 10, May 2000, discloses a stackable beverage container with a handle joined to the vessel at two points, that resides flush to the vessel when drinking, and thus the handle is not used for drinking, and when wishing to carry the vessel, the handle can be rotated above the vessel to more easily carry. Unlike the present invention, the invention of patent '949 (a) doesn't include the use of a low-friction bearing, so is unable to properly counteract hand tremor, (b) doesn't use a ball bearing, roller bearing or bush, (c) comprises of a handle attached to the side of a vessel by two joints as opposed to a single joint, (d) comprises of a handle that moves over the top of the vessel, as opposed to moving to the side of the vessel, (e) comprises of a handle that is used for carrying the cup, not for drinking, (f) comprises of a handle that is intended primarily to be used in two positions in the upward position for carrying and the lower position for drinking, as opposed to multiple positions, and (f) makes the activity of carrying the cup easier as opposed to making the activity of drinking easier.
Liquid-dispensing containers that use single gimbals to dispense liquid in the field of industrial machinery are known in the prior art, with particular reference to a blast furnace ladle for containing molten iron; however, they do not provide a liquid-dispensing container (a) that has a handle that can be held by a user, (b) can be used as a household appliance, such as for the activity of drinking, and (c) requires a handle to be held by a user in close proximity, such as within 20 cm, to the centre of gravity of the liquid-dispensing container.
The following patent documents pertaining to drinking vessel holders with gimbals (a) don't have handles that can be held by a user, so the device cannot be lifted to drink from, (b) they don't have a single axis gimbal structure, (c) they don't incorporate the gimbal inside the handle and (d) they don't use ball bearings to reduce frictional contact. Even when they have shafts for holding the gimbal mechanism, and even if such shafts were used as handles, they would not operate in the same way as the present invention because (a) they comprise of a two axis gimbal structure as opposed to a single gimbal structure and (b) are not held in place with the mechanism as detailed in the present invention. These patents are U.S. Pat. No. 2003/0,197,104, which issued to Randy Heybl & Brett Keshtkar on Oct. 23, 2003 and discloses a Gimballed and Adjustable Beverage Holder; U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,718, which issued to Michael P. Vine on Sep. 9, 2007 and discloses a Drink Holder; U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,055, which issued to Dror Levy on Feb. 6, 1996 and discloses a Cup Holder for Automobile; U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,006, issued to Tianhou Li on Aug. 23, 1994, discloses a Head-Supported Cup Holder which includes apparatus strapped to the user's head that supports a middle ring and an inner ring acting as a drink holder; U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,843, issued to Hiromichi Nakayama on Apr. 11, 1989, discloses a Drink Container Holder which includes a mounting ring having a gimbal structure within it with a middle ring and a cradle.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Their respective defects as mentioned above are overcome by our invention as described forthwith.